So many good points. So worth the nine minutes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If we were to take the things we measure our success by and apply them to the ministry of Jesus — a lot of times we’d have to conclude that he was a failure.

Quite often in ministry, people were leaving Jesus rather than coming to him. By the end of his earthly ministry there was no one left. He was abandoned by everyone. And yet his ministry was a success because he was completely faithful to his father….

We’ve got to get our attention off the tangible outcomes of our ministry as being evidence of our legitimacy and root it in something deeper. That something deeper is exactly what Jesus rooted his ministry in. Jesus said that his bread — what sustained his life — was to do the will of his father…

Jesus had his identity rooted in the fact that he was the beloved son of the father.

How different would our ministries be and our souls be and our joys be if we disconnected our legitimacy from the outcomes of our ministry and instead rooted our identity and legitimacy in the fact that we are sons and daughters of our loving father?

So where does your legitimacy come from? Is it the outcomes of your ministry or your identity in Christ?

Read more about the Daisy Cutter Doctrine.

Phil Vischer (creator of Veggie Tales) has started a great new online venture in recent months :: Jelly Telly.

On his blog last year he walked through several of the big problems facing kids and media – specifically Christian kids and Christian media.

One of the problems he points out is that Christians are defined by what we hate – not who or what we love.

…there has been a price for this political focus. Today, 80% of non-Christians in America have a negative view of Christianity. When asked what word first sprang to mind when the term “Evangelical Christian” was mentioned, the number one answer from young adults in America was not “loving” or “self-sacrificing,” but rather, “homophobic.”

He also points out that most Christians aren’t really living out what it really means to be a follower of Christ and that Protestant Christians can no longer define “grace.”

So issue number one – we need an education.

Since God has given Phil a passion and a burden for kids, he naturally wants to begin this education with kids (hence Veggie Tales).

Issue or problem two – there’s no platform for Christian Media.

There’s no American Idol, Nickelodeon or Disney for Christian media creators to launch their characters from. People aren’t walking into Christian bookstores like they used to and with the constant barrage from other media sources the Christian media content is quickly getting drowned out.

He also mentions that without platforms to launch media from, the creators aren’t likely to create the content. Sure a 24/7 cable network for kids would be great, but as Phil mentions, it could easily cost $100 million to get off the ground.

So along with these issues and the fact that Phil seems to feel the tugs of an “upside down King and Kingdom” interested in doing amazing things with Mustard Seeds (my words not his), he’s launched a new online network for kids.

I’ve checked out the site and I think it has a lot of things going for it but I’d love to get your input.

So check out the site and/or bring a kid over to check it out for you. Let us know what you/they think.

And in the meantime, here’s a quick “About us” video for all the parents…

I woke up quite early this morning.

Around 3 I pulled myself out of bed and opened up my copy of The Message to finish reading the good news according to Mark.

As I read through it, several things crossed my mind.

• Matthew seems to write from the mindset of proving to the Hebrews that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophecies within the Hebrew Scripture
• Mark seems to write from a mindset of encouraging his readers to give all they’ve got for the cause of Jesus

Along the way a couple passages really jumped out at me and stirred my heart and soul.

In the 4th chapter of his letter, Mark writes:

With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots. (mark 4:33-34)

I’ve always heard and known that Jesus used stories to relate to people, but Eugene Peterson really makes the language/idea pop when he suggests that Jesus presented his stories according to each group’s experience and maturity.

The NIV translates it this way: Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.

It seems like we could take a lesson from Jesus when we’re trying to explain Biblical principals to people. Tell it like we would a story. Don’t try to impress people with your big doctrinal words. Don’t try to overdue the theological ideas. Break it down and tell the story in a way that makes sense to your audience.

The second passage that really grabbed me was a few pages over, in chapter 6.

Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.

That jumped out at me and really comforted me this morning. It helped me to realize that even Jesus, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God couldn’t force people to change. Their stubbornness won out sometimes – even in his hometown.

I can often get frustrated when I see a lack of change in people I may be ministering with/to. But it’s really not up to me — it’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict hearts. I’m just called to continue living the life.

What do you think? What are you reading this week? Anything you really like in Mark’s telling of the good news?